Keep up your positivity

We are in a very unique and stressful situation. I check in with many friends and colleagues daily and the anxiety levels are through the roof. The whole world is in this situation and it is time to think about all the positives and ways we can improve the situation.

There are a few things I think you should NOT do – the first is reading and watching the news. It is really not going to help. We know what is happening, so do not keep reminding yourself. Also be careful to not eat and drink too much. Easily done at this time but neither will help.

In this blog I have written a few of the things that are keeping me sane. Think about your four pillars of wellbeing; nutrition, exercise, sleep and mental health. Try and nurture all four. Read here about the seven dimensions of wellness.

Keeping our stress and anxiety low –  Stress and anxiety seriously affect our health and our immune system. Hopefully some of the ideas I have included here will help. But if you are really suffering – please phone your doctor. Do not let things build up at this difficult time. Now is a time for mindfulness more than ever. Be in the here and now and do not think about the past or the future.

Top of my list is daily exercise – In normal times I hear so many people tell me that they do not have the time to exercise –  bring it on now. There are so many amazing exercise teachers giving live online classes or pre-recorded classes. There are lots on YouTube. Some online subscription exercise classes have relaxed their fee such as Les Mills. Or try one of the many exercise apps such as the 7 minute workouts.

Keep a daily routine – do not forget when it is the weekend and try to do weekend things – see below for some suggestions. Keep your working week as normal as possible. For those working at home, try to set yourself a daily routine. Have lunch at the normal time, take a break, and video call your colleagues. I always find it hard to arrange meetings when everyone at work can be present, but now we have found out about video calling and how easy it is. The first week of isolation my education team video called every day, and we are now on 3 times a week. First check in on how everyone is, are they OK, any issues, and then get down to your agenda. I tried Microsoft Teams and Zoom but am using Zoom now as you can see everyones faces. It seems that on Teams you can only see 4 people at a time. I have written some basic instructions to help get you started.

Time to relax – this has been a positive that many friends have told me. Many of us spend too much of our lives rushing around. We have now been forced to slow down. Make the most of it – read, write, draw, listen to music, meditate, breathe.  It is really good for our health. There are many free meditations and relaxations on YouTube.

Catch up with your sleep – I see so many people who do not get enough sleep. They struggle when their alarm goes off. If you do not need to set your alarm at the moment, rejoice. Sleep until you are ready to wake up naturally – I always do this. And ensure your bedroom is clean and tiny (see spring cleaning). If you have problems sleeping, check out my dear friend Dr Nerina Ramlakhan – she has lots of great ideas on YouTube and beyond. Or try a sleep app.

Catch up with friends using video calling – this is so amazing and something I will continue to use when we come out of the other side, again using Zoom or MS Teams. There are so many friends that I rarely see but now we can. Saturday mornings I am running a village catch up, Saturday nights is socialising with my school friends (the image is from last Saturday nights chat with my school friends – one lives abroad and we had not seen her for decades), Sunday and Wednesday nights are different sets of University friends, and so on. I am just about to set up a call with my immediate family, and then a wider one for our cousins who live all over the world. Check in how they are all feeling and what the situation is like where they live, but try to laugh and smile and leave the chat on a positive note. Maybe there is a friend or family member that you have not seen for years or decades, maybe you fell out. Now is a perfect time to check in and catch up.

Keep your hobbies going – it is important to keep your hobbies up. At my last women’s group meeting, The Purple Tent, we discussed how our sense of community and friendship can shine through our hobbies. We can still keep them going, we just have to be a bit imaginative.  I have set up a virtual film club which we were about to do face to face but now we are doing virtually every week. We watch the film in our own time, and come together on Friday nights to talk about the film, but again first checking in to see how everyone is. The first week we watched Lady Bird, last week it was The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and the next film is Amelie. You may notice that the films have a theme – they are all feel good films that will make us laugh and smile. Until we get through this, I do not want to include any negative or heavy films. What about a virtual book club, dance club, knitting, drawing, painting, singing, wine or dinner club? You can do any club by Zoom.

Check in with the arts – you should have time now for reading, music, films, and more. Some theatres are live streaming plays. I am reading all the hard backed books I have which I have not read as they are too heavy to carry around.

Time for walking – chances are you might not have spent time exploring where you live. We rarely walk enough. Put on some comfy shoes and go exploring. I live in a village about 2 miles from town and I have only walked into town twice. I did it again on Sunday and it was such a pleasure.  If you do not want to walk alone – video call a friend as you are walking so you can chat. Maybe you both walk at the same time, but in different locations. Or put on your headphones and take in some music. Mindful walking is great – really looking at your environment and soaking it all in. There are many jokes going around about the poor dogs who are wondering what is going on as they are being walked so much!

Do not forget to stretch – whether you are exercising, walking or not doing either – it is really important to stretch. We are all moving much less than normal and our bodies will lock up. Think about all the major muscle groups and hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds or more. Take your time. Why not stretch outside?

Family time – eat together, walk together, garden together. And what about some board games?

Spring cleaning – I have three growing boys and so this is always on my agenda. They grow, clothes and shoes that no longer fit need to be recycled and rooms need to be decluttered. Our homes should be our sanctuary. I just decluttered my bedroom and it feels so light and wonderful now. On my dressing table is a candle, my sonos speaker and a plant. And all the clothes I have not worn for a while are packed away. You probably cannot recycle the clothes yet, but keep them ready for when you can.

Re-decorate – time for another lick of paint or totally change the colours of your room. This will be sure to cheer you up.

Take an online course – this is especially important for those who are not working at the moment. Is there something you have always wanted to learn? Now is the time. Chances are there are some online courses you could do. I want to learn more about Instagram as I cannot seem to get more followers!!

Build up your community – do you know everyone who lives around you? Are there people you could help? Have your street or village got together to check if there are any families self isolating or anyone who lives alone who needs help? If you do see someone when you are walking or shopping, say hello.

Volunteer – the local food banks need help. In the UK, there is a new scheme to recruit 250,000 volunteers to support the NHS through the coronavirus pandemic has been launched by the Government.

Gardening – this ticks so many boxes. Being outside, fresh air, exercise and being creative. What about starting a veggie patch?

Plan your post isolation parties and catch ups – when we are let out we need to party like its 2020!!  Start planning parties and catch ups now. Who, where, how – just not when yet as we have not idea when we are going to be let out.

I would love to hear other positive ideas to help us get through the isolation. Please share.

Depression